The longsword moved like a flash of lightning, leaving behind little more than a cold gleam.

Amidst the surging beast tide, Jiang Wang had no time to cast any Dao techniques. He could only rely on his swordsmanship to weave and dodge through the hordes of ferocious beasts.

The golden light arrow engraved on his sword had already pierced the eye of a lion-like beast. He would need considerable time to recover from that blow.

Were it not for the robustness of the Four Spirits Body Refinement Art, Jiang Wang would likely not have survived.

Indeed, this wave of monstrous beast assault had already claimed the lives of over a hundred cultivators! Not even their corpses remained.

Jiang Wang stayed close to a gigantic, ox-like beast, circling it to the left and right. This enraged the beast while simultaneously preventing other beasts from attacking him.

But he was very aware that he was far from safe. He was still dancing on the edge of a blade, and a single misstep would mean utter annihilation.

He still didn’t even know what the beast that had unleashed that beam of light looked like, or where it was now.

Furthermore, he had been separated from Zhao Rucheng.

If he was struggling so greatly, how was Zhao Rucheng faring?

Jiang Wang dared not imagine.

He had already unleashed his full strength, searching desperately for Zhao Rucheng’s figure as he fought and kept an eye on the direction of the devastating light beam.

As the ox-like beast lumbered about, Jiang Wang spotted the source of the dreaded attack.

Even amidst the chaotic beast tide, its brethren instinctively created space for it, giving way as if by unspoken command.

It was a beast resembling a black cat, unexpectedly petite in size. Yet, it stood steadfast amidst the raging torrent, like a boulder in a river’s current. Only its crimson eyes, like pools of blood, betrayed its savage nature.

The cat yawned lazily, its mouth growing wider and wider until it became as large as a wooden basin. Within the center of its gaping maw, a ball of red light slowly took shape.

Jiang Wang followed the cat’s direction and his eyes grew bloodshot. Zhao Rucheng was surrounded by seven or eight beasts, who tore at him with savage intent. His life hung by a thread.

Jiang Wang flipped onto the back of the ox-like beast. A casual sword stroke enraged the beast, and with several quick steps, he launched himself forward!

He traversed the beasts, dodging claws, teeth, and hooves with a fluid and graceful series of movements.

Avoiding countless attacks, he suddenly leaped into the air.

Purple Qi East Arriving Swordplay, Killing Art: Fourth Form! The power of his sword burst forth.

Enveloped in brilliant sword light, Jiang Wang crashed through the throng of beasts, reaching Zhao Rucheng with impossible speed. He grabbed Zhao Rucheng’s shoulder, and flung him backward.

As Zhao Rucheng flew through the air, Jiang Wang spun thrice, in a dizzying sequence. The red beam of light unleashed by the black cat roared past, barely missing him.

It was a moment of extreme tension and exquisite timing.

But he had overlooked the ox-like beast he had taunted earlier.

It was a Deer-Ox, resembling a cross between a deer and an ox, boasting thick hide and immense strength. After being used as a shield for so long, it now ignored everything else, focusing solely on Jiang Wang, charging straight ahead.

As the red beam blasted another path through the chaos, Jiang Wang landed on a giant mountain spider, slashing its multiple eyes with his sword.

But at that moment, the Deer-Ox leaped into the air, slamming head-on into Jiang Wang!

Barely managing to raise his sword as a shield, Jiang Wang was sent flying backward. Behind him lay only the precipice!

How high was Jade Balance Peak? At least from halfway up the mountain, the bottom was obscured by mist and clouds.

“Third Brother!”

Zhao Rucheng charged forward, driven mad with worry, but he was met by the onslaught of furious beasts.

…

Their battle was being fought near the northern edge of the cliff.

Ye Qingyu fought her way towards Jiang Wang.

Before the second, even more terrifying wave of the beast tide arrived, the proud Ye Qingyu thought she must rescue Jiang Wang.

Never mind how many life-saving treasures she had already expended on the journey. Faced with the ever-increasing ferocity of the beast tide, she reckoned two treasures still remained. If she couldn’t find him before those were gone, she would have to retreat.

Then she saw it… a landscape littered with mangled corpses and shredded flesh.

It was the most brutally butchered battlefield she had seen on her way here.

The ground was scarred and uneven, bearing three deep grooves gouged by some immense force.

In one of these grooves, a man sat motionless.

She could only see a profile, yet it was clearly a face of extraordinary handsomeness.

Blood flowed around him, and shredded corpses lay strewn about. Yet the man merely sat there, head bowed, with hair hanging loose around him.

“…Hello?” Ye Qingyu asked tentatively.

The man slowly raised his head and glanced at her.

His gaze was one of cold indifference and brutal intensity!

Then he swayed and collapsed into the pool of blood.

…

At this moment, across the whole battlefield of Jade Balance Peak:

The Dean of Three Mountains City Dao College had been slain. The majority of the five hundred cultivators who had been organized to combat the assault had perished.

The beast tide had broken through all defensive lines, reaching as far as the rear supply base at the foot of the mountain, where they were wreaking havoc.

Defeat loomed.

Perhaps, the outcome had been decided the moment the Yin-Yang Double-Headed Eagles had appeared.

Amidst the despair, the City Lord of Three Mountains City, Dou Yuemei, once again stepped forward.

But no one believed she could work another miracle.

Back then, Sun Heng, with his Internal Palace cultivation, had single-handedly pushed back the beast tide, slaying the beast leader and turning the tide of battle. But he had fallen in the process, his Dao extinguished.

Everyone knew that Dou Yuemei was only at the peak of the Sixth Rank, Soaring Dragon realm. Zhuang Ting had allowed her to inherit the position only because of Sun Heng’s sacrifice, coupled with a collective petition from the cultivators of Three Mountains City.

Otherwise, while the position of City Lord could be inherited, it always required a minimum of Fifth Rank, Internal Palace realm.

The old City Lord of Mapleforest City had vacated his position and retired to New Peace City to live out his days, because he had no heir and had grown old and weak.

Yet Dou Yuemei stood before the beast tide.

She was a woman, but stood taller than any man.

Though only at the peak of the Soaring Dragon realm, she suddenly unleashed an unparalleled surge of power.

It was as if something had exploded within her, her body emitting a series of cracking sounds.

Her power soared!

As everyone knew, the next stage after the Soaring Dragon realm was opening the Internal Palace.

But what lay between the Soaring Dragon realm and the Internal Palace?

It was an exploration of the body’s limits, the journey of the awakened Dragon Vein through the Sea of the Trunk!

Normally, this was a long and meticulous process.

Only after a cultivator had explored the majority of the Sea of the Trunk would they attempt to open the Internal Palace.

And the human body contained five palaces, each holding secrets.

The greatest cultivation within the Five Palaces realm lay in developing the secret treasures within each palace. The degree of exploration, individual talents, and experiences all differed from one cultivator to the next.

Many times, this exploration determined the difference between the strong and the weak.

And amongst all the secret treasures of the human body, the most rare and precious without a doubt was… Divine Power!

To be precise, a Divine Power seed. Or a fragmented version of true Divine Power. But as long as one possessed the seed, they would one day be able to develop it fully, ruling over the world.

And what was Dou Yuemei doing now?

She had chosen to open the Internal Palace before fully exploring the Sea of the Trunk.

And, moreover, she was breaking through all five palaces at once!

This was practically abandoning the future, severing her path of cultivation.

She barely grazed each palace, not even considering detailed exploration. But finally, in the fifth palace, she had found Divine Power!

She was so confident that she could open the Internal Palace without fully controlling the Sea of the Trunk, and even more confident that she would obtain Divine Power!

And she had done it!

“Sun Xiaoman! Earthshaker!” she shouted.

The barefoot girl who was fighting overheard her and without a word, swung her two pigtails. She raised the Earthshaker Hammer high, bringing it down on the ground.

The rocks shattered and the ground split, with the hammer’s point acting as the origin point of a deep fissure.

Dou Yuemei simply crouched down, placing her delicate, boneless hands on the ground.

The Divine Power she found, when she had broken open the Five Palaces,

Was named: Mountain Moving!